During a newspaper interview, veteran vocalist late Malini Bulathsinhala
was once asked the most memorable day in her life. "The day Maestro Kemadasa
hugged and wished my son Kasun Kalahara, following his first musical
concert," was her answer. " That warm hug from Master Kemadasa guaranteed
that Kasun had a genuine talent and a clear future," she had told the
newspaper.

Just like she believed, young Kasun Kalhara Jayawardena has done proud to
Malini Bulathsinghala and her husband veteran musician H.M. Jayawardena. But
this twenty something aspiring musician attributes his success to hard work
and commitment. " I must have been influenced by my parents, but what I have
achieved is through my own talent and dedication," shot back Kasun in an
interview with Sunday Observer Arts.

Kasun was one of the 'very few' artists who inquired the importance of
carrying an interview with him in a newspaper. "Do you think your readers
will benefit from this?" was his first reaction when we contacted him. It
was surprising to see a young budding musician being so reluctant to see a
page full of his details in a national newspaper. "I feel humiliated when
they ask me silly questions. I would never let my fans see me as a clown,"
stresses Kasun.

A career officially started with a musical concert held somewhere in year
2000, with his colleague Indrachapa Liyanage, Kasun soon became a
trendsetter in Sri Lankan music scene. During a time when Sri Lankan youth
would dare to experiment or introduce new avenues in the field of music,
Kasun and Indrachapa - who were mere school leavers, were brave enough to
take the initiatives. Haritha Nimnaye, their first song made the duo
popular, introducing a new era of music.

The popularity he gained from the first CD did not push this young
musician to do any immediate new productions. His second album Radical
Premaya released several years later introduced a 'totally different Kasun'
to the music industry.

The CD, which he calls as an experiment, consisted 'songs with feelings'.
According to Kasun, though the songs were not '100 per cent' successful,
Radical Premaya has quenched his thirst to introduce novel creations to the
industry. Now preparing for his third album, to be released early next year
- Kasun feels it will be another unique experience for his listeners.

"I don't believe in targeting several audiences (in different kinds of
age groups with diverse taste levels) through one set of songs," says Kasun.
"By doing this, artists don't do justice to any audience.

Therefore, my next album will be catered to one set of audience with the
same taste," he points out. Queried whether his new concept will be
commercially successful, Kasun shot back saying that more than the financial
aspect, he believes in carrying out quality work.

"This is why I don't sing at clubs, parties, open-air shows and
weddings," stresses Kasun. "People don't come to these places to enjoy
music. They just come to enjoy the food and the atmosphere," he adds. " I
don't sing or compose music for teledramas. All these mean fame and money.
But giving more quality work to my listeners is more important to me than
money and popularity," he points out.

Kasun believes the Sri Lankan music industry depends on the income levels
of people. According to Kasun, there are upper-class listeners who can
afford to go for music concerts by Amaradeva or Victor Rathnayake. There are
listeners from the lower class who are compelled to listen to the same set
of songs by the 'so called musicians' made by production houses. "I believe
our listeners belong to the middle class, who want to break away from both
these set ups and are constantly on the look out for experiments," he points
out.

Kasun's policies might make him unpopular among others, but when it comes
to music, he has always been in the hearts of people in every walk of life.
"When I do a song, I pay attention to every single detail. From the words to
sounds, recording technology and many more details," notes Kasun.

This could be the reason behind the ability of his every song to touch
the listeners deep down in their hearts. Kasun's songs will guarantee a true
feeling of tranquillity. His deep hypnotising voice will fit any range from
classical music to hip hop and from solo to harmonising.

With a passion to play the piano and the guitar, Kasun believes most of
his compositions are inspired by these two instruments. Aron Nevil and
Scorpions are Kasun's most adored musicians from the international music
scene. " I find Chithral Somapala as the most wonderful musician in Sri
Lanka.

He has a rare and amazing voice," feels Kasun.

He calls himself a movie addict and says most of his free days are spent
watching 'good classical movies'. He enjoys theatre and also looks forward
to work in such productions in future. Kasun is married to Nadee Kammalweera,
an aspiring actress mainly theatre and Cinema who recently clinched the
prestigious Bunka Award.

A proud product of Ananda College, Colombo Kasun has been an inspiring
music teacher for hundreds of students. Kasun is now drawing plans to
commence voice training classes for music lovers with an ability to sing. "I
want to make it a six month session. There will be no hard rules to take
part in the training. Anybody who wishes to participate will be taken after
a basic test," explains Kasun.

Although he represents youth, Kasun has worked hard to establish himself
among the reputed musicians in the country. "There should be creativity, but
the damage caused to Sri Lankan music by these emerging bands should be
stopped," Kasun emphasises.

"If somebody believes mixing Sinhala words with Indian soundtracks is
creativity, then they are mistaken. The truth is, listeners cannot be
cheated forever, people who are unable to come up with their own creations
will not last long. And they should not be called musicians," stresses Kasun
adding that establishing an identity through their own creations is vital
for anybody with the hope to enter and survive in the music scene.